“ Russian intelligence is saying that a rogue special forces unit, code-named Bodark, was behind the data theft. - Scott Mitchell during Argent Thunder”
Bodark was a Russian Spetsnaz unit comparable to The Ghosts. Highly trained and disciplined, their name comes from the myth of men who choose to become wolves.
They went rogue by allying themselves with Raven's Rock, a group of nationalistic and influential politicians, soldiers and weapon dealers.
History
They first appeared in Chelyabinsk province, Russia on October 2023 inside Sokolov's base to get the six RSM-56 Bulava nuclear missiles. Although they had 10 cloaked troops at the base, a UGV as support, destroyed the Ghosts' UCAV and killed Chuck (who was trying to defuse all the bombs), nevertheless they lost all their soldiers, their UGV was destroyed and Raven's Rock's Ka-60 helicopter only got 2 warheads where one of them was going to hit at London, England.
Campaign
Hunter Team first encountered Bodark in Dagestan where they were deployed to locate and recover a Georgian special forces unit, call-sign Zamtari. The Ghosts found the only survivor; Sergeant Osadze, but before they could rescue him, he was taken to the church by Bodark to be interrogated and executed. The Ghosts quickly assaulted the church and rescued Osadze, but after they left the room, they were ambushed by Bodark. After fighting through the ambush, the Ghosts pushed down the hill and reached the extraction point where they were again ambushed by Bodark.
The second encounter with Bodark is at Naval Support Activity Bahrain base where Staff Sergeant John Dmitri Kozak interrogated a captured Bodark operative while being monitored by both Major Scott Mitchell and Captain Cedric Ferguson. When questioned, the man revealed nothing except that he knew Kozak's real name and that he was from New York, taunting him by saying that his unit "can't keep its men alive".
Hunter Team again fought Bodark operatives in Moscow where they covertly shadowed President Volodin and his supporters before moving to their primary objective; the assassination of General Mikhail Bukharov in his headquarters.
Shortly afterwards, they fought more Bodark operatives protecting Raven's Rock leadership in a heavily-guarded compound in Archangels'k Oblast.
Raven Strike
Hunter Team fought Bodark operatives and the rogue Russian Army troops in Kazakhstan where they were deployed to rescue the General of the Army, Yuri Kozlov, and transported him by their Black Hawk helicopter piloted by Captain Lauren Jacobs (call-sign: Twisting) to the city of Saint Petersburg where the General set up his military headquarters there.
Hunter Team again fought Bodark operatives when they were deployed to the heavily-guarded Omsk rail yard to locate a mobile command car and handed it over to General Alexei Douka's troops after Hunter had secretly uploaded a eavesdropping program into the car's command and control systems.
After the disbandment of Raven's Rock, four Bodark officers had stolen large amounts of classified data when the Defense Ministry and the Kremlin's intelligence officers reported the theft and they traced the file transfer to the Ministry of Interior headquarters in Moscow. Hunter Team killed these officers to cover the theft of the data before Douka's troops arrived.
Origins
Bodark rifleman
The existence of Bodark was revealed to the United States government after the National Security Agency received communication from a confidential source in the Russian FSB (Federal Security Service) about an advanced special operations unit.
This information was later confirmed by ELINT surveillance of secure traffic between Major General Vitaly Bukharov and Colonel Pavel Kuzmin in and out of Kandalaksha military base. General Bukharov has direct operational control of a company-sized formation based at Kandalaksha military base, referred to as Special Training Unit 500 in numerous communications.
A Ghost Scout sneak behind a Bodark Engineer
No unit matching this designation is listed in the official Russian Defense Ministry files, suggesting that Bodark is a highly covert unit operating under the auspices of Russian military intelligence (GRU). The unit’s executive officer is Colonel Pavel Kuzmin, a career GRU officer with expertise in special operations.
Phone intercepts between Kuzmin and GRU officials in Moscow indicate that Kuzmin also acts as a liaison between GRU headquarters and STU 500, which suggests that the unit operates outside the jurisdiction of both the GRU and the General Staff. This is an unprecedented level of autonomy, even for a special operations unit.
The unit, which is unofficially referred to as Bodark (lit. “Werewolf”), is comprised of four Operational Units (OU), with the size of a reinforced platoon (36-42 men). Each unit has its own designation, and mission responsibility. The 1st Operational Unit, designation SWORD, is tasked with foreign intervention, or military operations outside the Russian Federation. The 2nd Operational Unit, designation HAMMER, is tasked with domestic intervention, or military operations within the Russian Federation. The 3rd Operational Unit, designation DAGGER, is responsible for infiltration and covert operations. Finally, the 4th Operational Unit, designation SICKLE, is responsible for logistics and operational support.
Personnel serving with Bodark are senior Russian Spetznaz troops with extensive combat experience and superior training, equivalent to SFOD-D (Delta Force), or the GST (Ghost Recon). They are equipped with cutting-edge weapons and tactical operations gear, including communications and battlefield management systems thought to have been purchased illegally or stolen from U.S. or European defense contractors.
It is believed that their operational doctrine includes the use of advanced war-fighting technologies, such as Cross-Com data systems, UAV and UGV support, and active camouflage gear for specialist squads. Bodark has access to dedicated air transport and long-range air support from the 7077th Separate Support Detachment, an Air Force unit based at Kandalaksha that is specially trained in covert operations.
It is unknown whether the unit has similar access to Russian Navy assets, but it is assumed that Bodark is authorized to commandeer whatever resources necessary to complete their assigned mission, just like other GRU Spetsnaz units.
It is unknown at this time how Bodark fits within the Russian chain of command. Since Bukharov answers only to the General of the Russian Army, and further, to the President of Russia, it is assumed that Bodark requires presidential authority in order to be deployed, much like the Ghost teams, but given the unit’s secrecy and autonomy, this cannot be confirmed.
There are anecdotal reports that suggest Bodark has been deployed more than once on missions without official authorization or oversight. It is estimated that Bodark has been operational for between ten and fifteen years, roughly coinciding with the period when Bukharov accepted a transfer from the GRU to the Training Directorate of the Russian General Staff. [1] [2] [3]
Trivia
- Bodark appears in Ghost Recon: Future Soldier. They also appear in the single-player Raven Strike DLC.
- Bodark is officially known as the Special Training Unit 500.
References
Appearances
- Ghost Recon: ALPHA (First appearance)
- Ghost Recon: Future Soldier
- Ghost Recon: Wildlands (mentioned only)